Death Cab for Cutie has a knack for deft integrations of emotional darkness and melodic beauty, an approach repeated here without the spaciousness or hyper-meticulous craft of 2005's "Plans." "Stairs'" hazy, ramshackle nature suits its sad and curious cast, ranging from a stalker in the tension-building "I Will Possess Your Heart" to a man nonchalantly watching a girl dance in a cemetery as brush fires encroach in "Grapevine Fires."